First Obama compared his proposed “public option” to the U.S. Postal Service, apparently not by accident. Tonight, he compared it to public universities:

By avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits, excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers. It would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.

That’s just a ludicrous statement. Government colleges and universities have, indeed, come to dominate the higher-education market not because they are better or more efficient but because of massive taxpayer subsidy. Truly, his example undercuts his stated intention.